Karol Szymanowski: His Life and Work

ISBN-13: 9781859283912 / Angielski / Twarda / 1999 / 528 str.

Wightman, Alistair

Opis

Despite wide recognition during his own lifetime, the works of the Polish composer Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) were somewhat overlooked in the decades following his death. In this study of Szymanowski's life and music, Alistair Wightman explores the composer's position as a constant outsider in his own country, yet as a good European in the ways in which he arrived at an accommodation with such diverse figures as Stravinsky, Strauss, Berg, Hindemith, Prokofiev and Ravel. The book throws light on Szymanowski's relationship to the Polish musical establishment, the reception of his works at home and abroad, his work as an educationalist, and the essentially European dimension of his art, drawing upon letters, polemical writings, verse, theatrical sketches and the memoirs of family, friends and contemporaries.

Recenzje

’...substantial critical biography...Wightman presents this extraordinary life with balance and finesse...the story is a fascinating one and is excellently told.’ BBC Music Magazine '... this well-documented volume will expand appreciation for Szymanowski's music and artistic achievement.' Slavic Review

Spis treści

Contents: Ancestry and early years; Student years in Warsaw; Young Poland in music; 1908-1911; Vienna 1911-1913; 1914; Rapprochement; Revolution and civil war; Wanderings I; King Roger; The development of the Polish Lechitic style; The sorriest chapter; Traditional Polish tuberculosis; Icebreak and catastrophe; Wanderings II; Conclusion; Appendices: Genealogical table showing the main lines of the Szymanowski and Taube families; Personalia; Catalogue of musical works; Catalogue of literary works; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

O autorze

Alistair Wightman